The present invention is based on a multiphase converter having semiconductor power components and a capacitor.
In multiphase converters that are equipped with semiconductor power components and a capacitor, a so-called buffer capacitor, in particular a high-power electrolytic capacitor, at least those components may be mounted on a support containing cooling devices. Supports that may be used may on the one hand be flat, rectangular cooling boards which contain cooling ducts through which a liquid coolant flows. Flat, rectangularly shaped supports on one of whose sides the components are attached, and on the other of whose sides cooling fins or cooling ribs are provided for air cooling, may also be used. Since, in higher-power converters, a very large capacitor may need to be provided as a so-called buffer capacitor, for which an electrolytic capacitor may be used, the overall height perpendicular to the support is determined by its relatively large height, and the extension in area of the support is determined both by the base outline of the capacitor and also, additively, by the relatively large power semiconductor attachment surfaces that need to be cooled. As a result, it is believed that a converter of this kind may require considerable space both in area and in terms of height. This space requirement may not be available in every application.
An object of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is to arrange the components in such a way that considerably less space should be required as compared to the design and manner of arrangement discussed above.
The arrangement according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention of the components of a converter is believed to have the advantage, as compared to the design and manner of arrangement discussed above, of requiring substantially less room for the same power, and also of ensuring substantially more-intensive cooling of the capacitor. It is believed that the exemplary embodiment packs the components compactly together with substantially improved space utilization. It is also believed that a given volume of space, especially substantially in cylindrical form, and the cooling system, are optimally utilized.
In the arrangement according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention of a multiphase converter, for that purpose the support is configured as a hollow body; the capacitor or an arrangement of capacitors connected in parallel is provided insertably, in as tightly and precisely fitted fashion as possible, in its interior; and the semiconductor power components are arranged on its outer side. The semiconductor power components are thus arranged around the capacitor as center, separated by the cooling element functioning as support.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the hollow body is configured in such a way that it has on the outer side a substantially cylindrical or parallelepipedal configuration, and on its inner side a cylindrical configuration or a configuration adapted to the external shape of the capacitor arrangement. As a further improvement to this configuration, the hollow body is equipped on its outer side with suitable surfaces on which the semiconductor power components can be mounted in good thermally conductive contact with the coolable hollow body.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which is believed to make available a particularly simple and clearly organized construction, the hollow body is equipped with flat surfaces, and flat outer surfaces are provided, in particular four in the case of two-phase converters, and six in the case of three-phase converters. The components belonging to one half or one third of a bridge can thus be arranged in very clearly organized and attractive fashion, in the form of a parallelepiped or in approximately cylindrical form, around the cooling support, while the capacitor or capacitor arrangement sits in the center and can also be cooled. This compact arrangement is believed to be further improved since the hollow body is substantially of a length in the axial direction that corresponds to the length of the capacitor or the capacitor arrangement.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a parallelepipedal or cylindrical cover is provided which occludingly surrounds the hollow body serving as support, together with the components mounted in and on it, except for necessary connecting contacts. The components are thereby protected from influences acting from outside, and a self-contained, ready-to-install, and very compact component is thus made available.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the hollow body also serves as a support for electrical boards. According to one exemplary embodiment, for example, electrical activation boards for the semiconductor power components are provided on the outer side of the semiconductor power components and their electrical connecting lines. In an exemplary embodiment, electrical control boards can be provided and mounted on one or both end faces of the hollow-body-shaped support.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the hollow body is equipped with suitable and suitably arranged cooling ducts; a coolant, in particular a liquid one, can be forced through those cooling ducts. In an exemplary embodiment, the hollow body is equipped at one end face with a support part containing cooling ducts through which cooling ducts provided in the outer support wall can be connected to one another, thereby imparting to the hollow body a cup-like shape. The capacitor provided in the interior is thus, very advantageously, surrounded over almost its entire exterior by the cooling hollow-body-shaped support.
The arrangement according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is believed to be, very usefully, usable in a variety of applications; it is provided and is believed to be suitable in particular for use in a motor vehicle or an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle or a starter-generator drive system.